Citrus beyond C36
by deadly falcon
Summary: after the events of chapter 36 Mei tries her best to move forward, realizing her mistake, she moves to make amends. Please read chapter 36 to get some context on this chapter. the first few chapters will be Mei centered.
1. Chapter 1

_**Citrus?**_

 _This chapter will take place immediately after chapter 36 and is a theory fiction, so by no means does it mean that Saburouta will be following the same direction that I think she will take. This will also be 6 chapters in length and between 2500-3000 per chapter._

 _The main characters._

Yuzu: 18

 _Mei: 18_

 _ **Chapter 37:**_ _Broken Love._

 _ **Summary:**_ _takes place after 36. But we see how Mei copes with life without Yuzu, while Yuzu's friends try to get Yuzu to open up (not including Harumin)._

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _Citrus, is the property of Saburouta, the characters, the story and anything relating to Citrus, do not belong to me_

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Waking up from her slumber, inside a dark room, a young girl with long blonde hair slowly picks herself up to ready herself for another day of schooling, glancing over to her right in hopes that the girl with long black hair had returned. Yuzu let out a sigh, not taking notice of her mother calling out to her. Positioning herself on the side of the bed, she looked at the ground and took a deep breath, she looked back again, "Mei, where are you?"

"Yuzu!" Yuzu's mother called out to her, quickly gaining her attention.

"Yes mother!" Yuzu replied after thirty seconds.

After getting dressed, she emerged from her room to see Matsuri and Harumin standing at the entrance, waiting for her to hang out with them for the day, Matsuri quickly noticed that something was amiss, noticing that something was wrong with Yuzu's attire, "let's go," Matsuri scathingly told the two girls, opening the door, she looked back at Yuzu and noticed another thing, part of her hair was a different color, apart from her normal blonde hair that Yuzu was often so proud of, she could visibly see black tips at the end.

After a couple of hours, Yuzu, Harumin and Matsuri eventually made it to a theme park, the three girls walked around, enjoying the sights that were on offer, they enjoyed the rides, but Matsuri still noticed something was off, Yuzu was still putting on a brave front, trying to hide her pain, 'this isn't working the way I had hoped,' Matsuri thought to herself.

As time went on Yuzu continued to smile, pretending that nothing was wrong with her, but Matsuri knew better, she peered to her right and spotted Himeko and Suzuran watching from a distance, she nodded at the two of them to signal that they were almost ready to enact their plan. The group brought an ice cream each at one of the stalls, but the hurt expression emerged on Yuzu again, her thoughts now turning again, failing to notice that she had dropped the ice cream, "I will get another one," Yuzu bravely smiled, but was stopped by Matsuri.

"Harumin, you go on ahead," she informed the older girl calmly, she turned her gaze to Yuzu and grabbed her arm, Harumin walked away oblivious to what was really happening, "you and I need to talk," Matsuri forced her childhood friend away from the festivities.

"Now, when we are having a good time?" Yuzu questioned her pink haired friend.

"You are not having a good time, you are only pretending to," Matsuri chastised her childhood friend, leading her away towards a secret location, where they can talk in private, "you can only hide so much from me, I know you well enough to know that you are hurting," Matsuri expressed her displeasure at her friend's dishonesty.

"I don't know what you're talking about Matsuri," Yuzu tried defending herself, but Matsuri wanted no part of the response.

Mei sitting in her study, with only a small light on the desk, a pile of official paperwork from the academy she would one day inherit as well as paperwork of her studies. Her hand was trembling with her handwriting becoming less and less illegible, as she continued to write, the pen snapped in half, "another pen," she whispered, she tossed the remains of the pen in the bin. A bin that was filled with other pens that were broken, seemingly numbering into the hundreds, also accompanied with paperwork that had been thrown in the bin as if to hide something, as well as unusable pencils that she had also broken in the process.

Mei stood up and approached the door. The door opened revealing a man wearing glasses and dressed in a suit, "I am making dinner soon," he informed his soon to be wife, but was ignored, Mei walked passed him avoiding body contact in the process, she glared back with a cold expression, "Mei?"

Mei turned back and started walking back to her room, "I am not hungry, eat dinner by yourself," coldly telling her fiancé.

"Are you alright?" he asked, only to be ignored by Mei who made her way to her room.

Entering the room, she slammed the door shut, locking it immediately and fell on her bed, she looked upwards to the ceiling and raised her hand, staring at the engagement ring with disgust, her other hand clasping the conceal ring given to her by Yuzu, trying her best to keep her emotions in check, she started to doze off, ignoring the calls of her fiancé.

During her sleep she started to toss and turn, "Yuzu," she called out a number of times, each time becoming more urgent, "don't leave me," her voice trembled, fear becoming ever apparent in her voice.

As the night wore on, Mei's nightmare continued to get worse, seeing some of her friends looking at her with disgust, until eventually she spotted Yuzu standing next to Matsuri, "I no longer love you Mei, I have decided to start dating Matsuri," Yuzu's voice echoed in her mind, noticing Matsuri poking out her tongue and smirking at her, clinging to Yuzu's arm as they walked away from Mei.

"Yuzu!" Mei tried to reach out to the girl, but to no avail.

Suddenly leaping up, sweating profusely, "Yuzu!" Mei called out to Yuzu again, panting heavily, she noticed the sun had risen, placing her hand over her forehead, she looked up at the chest of draws and spotted a small teddy bear, one repaired by Yuzu, "what am I doing?" she asked herself, trying her best to get some sense of composure back.

Making back to the study, she entered the room and approached the desk, grabbing an envelope that was placed at the front, "why am I expecting a letter from Yuzu?" she asked herself, opening it to reveal a result from one of her assignments. After unfolding the paper that was contained in the envelope, it revealed a very low grade, "twenty five percent," she uttered, she ripped up the paper and threw it in the bin.

Repeating the same events of the previous day, for what seemed like an eternity, she continued her studies to the best of her abilities, resisting the urge to open the top draw next to her, In recent times the urge to not open the draw started to falter, remaining at the desk for hours eating at certain times away, she had been alone all this time, even with her fiancé making it back home late in the day, not once even greeting him home.

Mei walked out of the room, only to be greeted by her fiancé, he was holding a bag filled with food from a fast food store, "come on Mei, how about we watch TV and have Chinese?" he suggested, but the request fell on death ears, Mei walked into the kitchen and grabbed food that she had prepared earlier in the day, walking passed him, ignoring his presence yet again. He tried to make sense of this, it had been seven months since they were given the house, sleeping in separate rooms for the whole time, "something isn't right," he whispered to himself, trying to piece together Mei's cold personality, which continued to become ever colder towards him and even towards her grandfather in the process.

This time noticing his presence, she turned to look at him with a deadly glare, "if you want to know, I will never love you," she hissed at him, she turned away and marched to her room, "someone else already has my heart won," she informed leaving him uncertain as to what he can do to help Mei out, she opened the door and prepared to enter her room.

"I am staying home tomorrow, how about we discuss this arrangement further?" he suggested with a glimmer of hope.

"Do whatever you want," Mei slammed the door shut and locking the entrance in the process.

"You left the door open," an elderly man entered the house.

"Good evening sir," Mei's fiancé greeted the grandfather.

"How are things going between you and my granddaughter?" he asked with hope.

Taking a deep breath, the young man turned towards the elderly man and let out another sigh, "not very well sir, when I first met her, she was a nice and caring person, but now she is becoming increasing colder," the young man informed the grandfather with a hint of concern, he turned his attention to the room, thinking about the first meeting, "she has even stated that she will never love me."

"Ridiculous, Mei is a very dedicated young woman, she will do what is right," Mei's grandfather replied in her defence.

"Sir, have you considered calling this whole arrangement off? I really don't think it will last long between us," he enquired about calling the arranged marriage off.

"You promised that you would never run away from this again, did you not?" Questioning the man he chose for Mei.

"You're right," he replied softly, but doubt continued to creep into his mind, "I have noticed that some nights, Mei has been throwing an amazing amount of paper into the recycling," the manager informed the grandfather as he was leaving the house.

Mei's grandfather made it to the end of the driveway and noticed some of the paper on the ground, picking it up he unfurled it. Horror etched on his face, something he didn't expect from such a dedicated young woman, "twenty percent?" he questioned the grade, he opened the bin to discover a large quantity of paper contained within, he picked up what looked like a report card, opening it, he was mortified to discover that the normally straight 'A' student that's his granddaughter had her grades drop by so much that a majority of them had turn to 'F' grades, "what's going on with my granddaughter?" he asked all the while feeling his health starting to give way. Bravely walking to the limousine whilst holding onto the report card of his granddaughter, clasping his chest but signalling for the driver to drive off from the house.

The next day emerged Mei sat up, clutching her head, "the same nightmare," she whispered, thoughts of Yuzu playing in her mind with memories of the nightmare replaying in her mind. After an hour she dressed up and unlocked the door to her room, she exited the room and made her way to the kitchen, she turned to see a pile of pancakes on the bench, choosing to ignore them she poured a bowl of cereal instead, eventually making her way to the study.

Unlocking the study, she entered without locking the door, her hands were trembling, an involuntary action that rattled the spoon against the bowl, she placed the bowl on the desk and with hands on either side of her, she tried her best to hold back her emotions again, she moved towards the desk chair, sitting down and taking a brand-new pen, she tried to write on her next assignment, peering over to the draw again, she tried to return her focus on the paperwork, her hands shaking and her handwriting now a complete mess, she could barely write even a line, "what's wrong with me?" she started losing resistance. Without thinking her right hand moved towards the draw and opened it, revealing a photo that she had hidden for the last six months, a photo of her and Yuzu. Yuzu with her arm around her shoulder and smiling while Mei kept her emotionless expression, "Yuzu, I am sorry," she apologized to the girl.

Mei continued to do her paperwork after putting the photo back, she continued to falter, looking back at the draw. Mei tried her hand at writing with hopes that seeing the picture would give her the courage to continue on, but to no avail, Mei's hand was shaking violently, in the process the pen snapped in half again, throwing it away, she reached out for another pen. Her hand fell short of the new pack of pens, she was unable to continue, she had suddenly realized her problem, "enough!" she screamed out, her hand swinging away, sending all the paper on the desk flying in every direction, now feeling angered by being trapped in the house that she wanted to get out of.

As her anger reached its peak, the fiancé opened the door, to see Mei surrounded by paper, new pens and pencils scattered across the floor, she looked up to see his concerned expression, he noticed her starting to cry, "are you alright," he asked kindly, but was ignored, Mei stomped passed him, avoiding body contact again, "you should go and get some rest," he told Mei, he looked down at the paper on the floor, he heard Mei yelling out, but he had no clue as to why, he watched Mei walking towards her room and waited until he heard the slamming of the door to make his way towards the room.

Once Mei had entered the room, she locked the door, with her back towards the door, she slide down and broke down in tears, uncontrollable, she tried her best to wipe them away, but they continued to flow, "I can't take this anymore, I want to go back," she told herself, crying that never stopped which prevented her from hearing her fiancé approaching her room.

He placed his back against the wall, overhearing Mei crying stating that she wants to go back home, he looked at the ground stunned at the revelation, "she hates it here," he whispered to himself, a sudden urge of hesitation entered his expression, he glanced at the engagement ring and guilt suddenly washed over him.

"I want to see Yuzu again," she cried out. He remembered Yuzu, a cheerful person, always smiling and working hard, he knew that Mei was her step-sister, so he didn't take much notice of her wanting to see Yuzu again, "Yuzu," she called out repeatedly, as the manager was still didn't come to a conclusion, "I need you Yuzu, please, come help me."

He didn't know why she was stating this, why was she after Yuzu, those thoughts rushing thought his mind, he started to walk away from the room, still oblivious to what Mei was getting at, "Yuzu, I love you!" The fiancé stopped, incapable of believing what he had heard, he had finally heard the reason why Mei wasn't acting herself in recent time.

He walked back to his room, his thoughts directed at the engagement ring, "I cannot go through with this, I don't want to hurt Mei anymore," he whispered to himself, he turned to the phone and dial in a few numbers, "sir, we need to discuss something important tomorrow," he informed the person on the other side of the call, before hanging up.

At the theme park Yuzu and Matsuri made it to the secret meeting spot, at this time Himeko and Suzuran emerged from the corner, catching Yuzu off guard, Matsuri stood between the two other girls, "I don't need to talk to you Yuzu, we need to talk to you," Matsuri informed Yuzu of the trio's intention to get to the bottom of Yuzu's change.

"We know everything Yuzu," Himeko confessed to Yuzu, much to her shock.

Suzuran placing her right hand over her face, repeating her normal habit that typified her observation abilities, "you are wearing that chain with the ring," her observations shook Yuzu to the core.

Matsuri approached Yuzu and grabbed some of her hair, "your hair coloring is also fading, you took pride in having the same hair color as your father," Matsuri reminded Yuzu of the fading hair color, showing it to her. She lowered her glance to a loose button on Yuzu's shirt, "the bottom button of your shirt is undone, and the top button is in the wrong place," Matsuri directed Yuzu to the mess her attire was in.

A false laughter echoed from Yuzu, she swiped Matsuri's hand away from her hair, "w-what are…are you t-talking about?" She asked, her voice trembling and another fake laugh emerged, as she tried her best to smile at her friends. A false sense of bravery was starting to crumble, the wall that she had built over a short space of time started falling around her, "I….I d-don't need….M-M…..Mei," Yuzu started to break in front of her friends.

"You're lying Yuzu," Matsuri replied, noticing the first tears coming from Yuzu's eyes.

Tears started welling up, Yuzu, tried to get another false smile on her face, covering her mouth and turning away, she cleared away the tears that emerged, she turned around and smiled, "you see, I am…" Yuzu attempted a sentence before finally breaking down in tears, falling to the ground her wails shook her friends greatly, "I need Mei around, I love her more than anything," Yuzu cried about her love for Mei to her friends.

All three of them watched Yuzu crying, Matsuri approached her childhood friend and placed her hands on her shoulder, "it's alright Yuzu, let it all out, we are your friends and we are here for you," assuring Yuzu that her friends will be there for her, while Yuzu continued to cry out for Mei repeatedly, while her friends watched in despair, powerless to say anything or even do more to consul Yuzu in her grief.

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 **Hope you liked this first attempt at a prediction, please remember that Saburouta will more than likely do something completely different to what you see here. But there will be other chapters to follow, the ideas I have are ready to be typed down, so this won't take long for me to complete.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 (38 really)** _reality of love._

 _ **Summary:**_ _after the revelations of the last chapter, a new road is revealed to Mei, just what is she willing to do to follow that path, this chapter is solely focused on Mei and her conflict._

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Late in the morning Mei wakes up from her slumber, she hears a knocking on the door and the voice of her fiancé, "we need to discuss something important, I also know what happened last night," the young man stated in a concerned tone.

After a few minutes Mei emerged from the room, and glared at him, "you heard everything?" she snarled at him, he nodded in confirmation, she pushed him aside and made her way to the study as she would usually do, "fine, if it's so important, then we can discuss in my study," she allowed the man to enter.

After the two entered the room, Mei closed the door, "I rang up your grandfather last night, he will be coming here, but before that, we need to discuss something important now," the man expressed his desire to talk to Mei, "what would you think if I dissolved this engagement?" Asking Mei for an opinion.

Mei's stern expression changed, shocked at what he was proposing, "you mean you want to end this arrangement?" she asked the older man, he nodded in approval, but she was feeling guilty over what was being proposed, "grandfather will not be happy about this," she informed him nervously.

"He also faxed me your report card, then it clicked, you cannot live your life without Yuzu around," he revealed the copy of the report card.

Mei stepped back in shock, "I threw that out," she staggered back further, she clenched her fists in anger and looked away in shame, "you're right, every time I tried to focus on my studies, my mind wondered somewhere else," Mei admitted to her fiancé, she looked at the table and noticed that everything was still all over the place, "I guess I was a mess," Mei expressed her own problems.

"If you want courage to face your grandfather, think about the person that gave you courage," he tried to encourage Mei. Suddenly a knock on the door rattled the two, "think about Yuzu," he encouraged Mei to act.

"Right, for Yuzu," she whispered to herself, 'what would she do in this situation?' she asked herself, thinking back to the say she stood up against her grandfather, she walked up to the front door and greeted her grandfather, "hello grandfather."

"I don't have much time, I have a meeting I need to attend to, it also has a lot to do about your future wedding," the elderly man reminded the two of his schedule.

"About the wedding sir," the young man replied, he gulped and took a deep breath, "the wedding will not be happening, I have decided to pull out of this engagement," he announced he remained calm while thinking about what the reaction would be.

"What is the meaning of this?! Mei answer me!" the elderly man angrily demanded for an answer, furious at what he had just heard, "well?!"

"Sir, please we both know that this isn't right," Mei's former fiancé tried his best to reason with the enraged elderly man.

"You said you weren't running away again! yet here you are choosing to run away!" the elderly man snapped at the chosen man for Mei, failing to hear the footsteps of Mei encroaching on the argument.

'This is it, no turning back,' Mei thought to herself, standing between her grandfather and her former fiancé.

After stepping forward and stood face to face with her grandfather, her determination brought an furious man to silence, "I am deciding to also dissolve this engagement, I want to follow the path I set for myself, and find the person that filled me with so much joy in life, this person that gave me courage, a person that I love," Mei finally swallowed the fear that held her back, now filled with the courage that had been bottled up for so long, her grandfather stared at her coldly, but she stood her ground, "I am deciding to follow life on my terms, this is what this person taught, it is one lesson I intend to apply, without regret." Standing up to her grandfather declaring what she will do with her life, "this is my life to lead," Mei announced as the old man started to submit to Mei's new-found courage.

'she isn't using Yuzu's name, likely to protect her from her grandfather,' the man quickly assumed Mei's intentions, he turned his attention to the elderly visitor. 'her courage must be the influence of Yuzu,' he thought to himself proud of Mei and her action, 'Yuzu would be very proud of you,' he reminded himself of the way Yuzu would apply herself without regret.

"But Mei, what about the planned future?" A concerned grandparent questioning his grandchild.

"Sorry sir, but I think it would be best for Mei to choose her own path through life, it isn't fair on her," Mei's former fiancé removed the ring and handed it back to the grandfather, "this isn't running away this time, this is me making a choice that I feel is right," he announced with a sense of purpose the elderly man turned his attention to Mei.

As Mei was about to make her statement, her grandfather suddenly fell to his knees, "are you alright?" she asked, but was pushed back as he got back to his feet.

"I am fine," he snapped back, noticing the concerned expression in Mei's face, but another sudden sharp pain coursed through his body from his chest, falling to the floor face first, "Mei, make your own choices, live life the way you want to live, the school is in your hands," he whispered to his granddaughter, he was starting to fade and his consciousness slipped.

"Grandfather! Grandfather!" Mei called out repeatedly, dropping down to help roll him over, she noticed that he had suddenly lost some color in his face, "get up, please grandfather!" the urgency continued to ring out from her voice, "quick call a paramedic," she ordered her former fiancé, panic continued to set in.

Within minutes the paramedics arrived and noticed came in with their equipment, "move out of the way," the paramedics ordered the young woman, Mei immediately jumped out of the way and allowed for the paramedics to do their job, watching and hoping as they continued their best to resuscitate her grandfather.

"Please save him!" Mei pleaded with the medical staff. The time continued to pass, the paramedics continued to do their work, but minutes started to feel like hours, then they chose to stop, they placed their hands over his neck to feel for a pulse, "wait why did you stop?!" Mei asked the doctors, she watched them turn around and look towards her, they shook their heads and dismay, "what happened?" she continued to ask.

"I am sorry, we are unable to save him, it seems like he suffered a fatal heart attack," the paramedics informed the black-haired girl.

Mei fell to the ground and started crying, "it can't be, who is going to run the Aihara Academy now?" she asked softly, trying to come to terms with the loss of her grandfather. She watched as another group of people placed the elderly man in a body bag, "wait, I need to say my last goodbyes to my grandfather," she made her request, tears rolling down her face, her grief ever apparent.

"Mei, I will be outside," her former fiancé whispered, he walked out to let Mei say her final goodbyes to her now deceased grandfather.

Taking a deep breath Mei then gulped, "I am sorry for hiding so much from you, I never got the chance to tell you the truth about the person I fell in love with," Mei expressed her regret, she cleared away her tears and clutched her ring, "this is the reason why my grades suffered the way they did and why decision making was made more difficult, that is my fault," Mei blamed herself for every difficulty that she had caused.

"Grandfather, I want to inherit the school, but I am going to do it on my own terms, I want to achieve my goals and make you proud of me," Mei expressed her desire to go forward, she let go of the ring yet again, "the person I fell in love with, is Yuzu, I cherish her more than anything, and I was afraid to confront her about this arrangement, I was nothing but a scared little girl, always allowing other to make choices for me, and claiming them as my own choices," Mei confessed her weaknesses to her grandfather, she clenched her fists and took one last deep breath, "I love you grandfather, and I am sorry that I cannot be the granddaughter that you want me to be, but I have decided that I am going to lead my own life without regrets, goodbye grandfather," Mei farewelled her grandfather as the paramedics carried the deceased man away, leaving Mei alone.

Mei stood up and started walking towards the study, she entered the room and started to think, "get the next trip to my home town," Mei ordered, she walked up to the desk and pulled open the draw, she grabbed the photo of her and Yuzu, "I have decided that I don't want to be this scared little girl anymore," she resolved as she looked at the warm smile that Yuzu always exuded, "I guess even without you here, I hesitated, I guess that also means that I cannot live my life without you Yuzu."

Mei walked up to her room, with the former fiancé watching her, "the next plane is in about two hours from now," he told Mei calmly.

"Thank you," Mei replied quietly, she entered the room and grabbed her favourite teddy bear, "Ansoniko, we are going to see Yuzu again," Mei whispered, hugging her teddy bear, she walked out of the room for the last time and headed downstairs, showing a little more enthusiasm, she exited the house with a bag slung over her shoulder, "let's go," she announced with some zeal, she looked back at the house again, "I am never coming back here again, this place was where I was at my lowest," she whispered calmly, looking at the paper filled bins, she shook her head and showed shame, "Yuzu will never be proud of what I not only did to her, but what I did to myself."

After the flight, and the car ride to the Aihara family house, Mei glanced at the house once again, "I will be back in a moment," she told her former fiancé, opening the gate, she rushed up to the door and entered the house, "better grab my school gear and get out, I don't really want to stay here for much longer," Mei whispered to herself.

She entered her room and looked around, she thought about how Yuzu first saw right through her façade, "I remember when I allowed Yuzu in, caused her to get expelled at the same time," Mei reminded herself of the first awkward days she had with Yuzu, "she saw right through me, no wonder why I fell in love with her, but am I really that worthy of her?" she asked herself grabbing some of the school uniform that was in her draws.

After finishing her business in the house, she closed the door once again, locked it and exited through the gates, she looked back and let out a sigh, "well from here I am going forward, so I will not be coming back here either," Mei confessed her resolve, she turned to the older man and pulled out the engagement ring.

"Well I guess this is where we part ways Mei," the kind-hearted man said with a smile, "I am glad that we don't have to go through with this," he admitted, letting out a laugh, he turned around to start walking away.

"Wait, take this with you," Mei handed her engagement ring to the fiancé, "find someone better than me," Mei informed her former fiancé calmly, "I bet Yuzu found someone better than me, it wouldn't surprise me, after what I put her through," Mei turned away not noticing the slight anger on the man's face.

"You need to learn to put more value in yourself, Yuzu is a very forgiving person, she doesn't let other's go that easily, well that was what I learned about her when she worked in my café," he explained about his former employee rather fondly, he turned around yet again and raised his right, "well Mei, good luck, I wish you the best in finding Yuzu," he farewelled Mei for the last time.

Mei turned to the opposite direction and started walking away from the house, "I am saying goodbye to part of my past, going forward is what I have decided," she repeated her resolve, slinging her bag over her shoulder she took her first steps towards facing her future on her own terms, "Yuzu, wait for me, I will see you again soon, I promise." whispering to herself, walking away from the expensive house, leaving part of her past behind to follow the path that she decided to follow.

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 **Well that is the next chapter out of the way, and now we see a new resolve burning within Mei's eyes, will she be able to set things, right? Or is she too late?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Citrus?: 3 (39)** _In search of love._

 _ **This chapter will be one half Mei, the other half Yuzu, starting off with Mei. Please enjoy.**_

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Walking down the streets Mei approached a large apartment building, she looked around the surroundings, the trees, memories that filled her heart with warmth, "I said I wouldn't falter, we I guess I did," she whispered to herself, as she tried to move forward to the apartment block, but stopped as a sense of dread washed over her, "what if Yuzu doesn't forgive? Am I worthy of such a forgiveness from Yuzu?" she started to become more apprehensive, questioning whether she would be able to make it up to Yuzu based on her actions.

She grabbed the ring Yuzu gave her and opened her eyes, moving towards the apartment building and failing to notice Matsuri catching a glimpse of her, "so you finally showed your face you coward," she hissed at Mei, angered that Mei would return.

Mei entered the building followed by Matsuri who was making sure that she wasn't spotted by Mei, "I hope she is still living here," Mei entered the elevator, pressed the button and waited for it to take her to the floor.

After the elevator stopped she left the elevator, turning towards the door of the apartment she once called home, using the key she unlocked the door and opened the door, "I am home!" she called out, hoping that someone would respond, she opened her eyes and looked around, the apartment was empty, her eyes widened.

"Oh it seems like you're too late," a familiar voice sounded out from behind her, Mei turned around to see a girl with pink hair smirking at her, "Yuzu and her mother moved out a few days ago," Matsuri informed Mei of the move, "I bet you wanted to see Yuzu as well, poor little Mei," Matsuri teased her former friend.

"Where did they go?" Mei urgently asked the pink haired girl, "tell me, I need to see Yuzu," Mei expressed her desire to see the blonde-haired girl again.

"Why should I tell you I wonder? So that way you can hurt Yuzu again, forget it," Matsuri replied with a hint of venom in her voice, she approached Mei which caused he to move back, "here I was going to give you a special gift on behalf of Yuzu," Matsuri raised her hand, "she told me to slap you if I see you on her behalf," Matsuri informed Mei with a devious smirk.

Mei stopped moving back and stood her ground, "fine, I deserve it anyway after what I did."

"Wow not fighting back, not like the first time when you kissed me," Matsuri hesitated to act.

"Just give me the slap I deserve," Mei stood there defensively, waiting for the slap from Matsuri, goading her to hit her, her expression stern.

"I would have thought you would at least tried to defend yourself," Matsuri reminded Mei, swinging her hand, hitting Mei as hard as she could muster, Mei stood her ground and took the hit without flinching. Matsuri lowered her hand and turned away, "oh by the way, I do another gift for you, I am going to tell you where Yuzu has moved to."

"No, I need to find out for myself, so please don't tell me," Mei quickly stopped Matsuri, her determination becoming ever apparent, "if you tell me, I would rush to her in an instant and I wouldn't have the time to think about what I need to say to her," she calmly stated, as she looked around the empty apartment, thinking about the life she had with Yuzu, "tell Yuzu, not to come looking for me, as I am on my way, I will be the one that chases after her, not the other way around," Mei instructed Matsuri, glancing around the empty apartment, dropping her bag on the ground and preparing to look around the empty apartment, "I need some time alone."

"I thought you were getting married," the pink haired girl tried to pry the truth from Mei.

"The wedding between Yuzu's former boss and Mei won't be happening," Mei answered, turning her away from Matsuri.

"So you felt guilty?" Matsuri questioned the black-haired girl with a smirk. Mei nodded in shame refusing to answer the question, "very well, I will let you look around here," Matsuri closed the door behind her, allowing Mei to remember the life she had with Yuzu.

Mei walked around the empty apartment, remembering the study sessions she had with Yuzu, slowly making her way to the room they shared. Mei remembered their first kiss, then proceeded to remember the kiss they shared while reading her father's letters, "I was wrong when I said it didn't mean anything," Mei whispered to herself, she thought about the statement which left Yuzu disappointed, "it meant a lot between you and me, maybe it was then I realized that I started to develop feelings for you, yet I was too afraid to say anything," Mei expressed her guilt, turning her attention to one corner of the room, a room where she would normally sit and study, "I was too frightened to tell you the truth about my engagement."

Looking around the room, thinking about the times Yuzu helped comfort her, yet how she failed to reciprocate those feelings that Yuzu had for her, "I am not sure whether Yuzu hates me now, I wouldn't be surprised if she does," Mei grew concerned about the consequences of her acts. Mei was now frightened about seeing Yuzu again, she walked out of the room, and closed the door behind her, taking one last look around, she approached her bag and remembered the bear that sat at the table, "Kumagoro, so Yuzu did take you."

After walking around the apartment, gathering her thoughts from her past, she turned her attention to Ansoniko, "Ansoniko, it's about time we start looking for Yuzu," she told the plush toy with a sorrowful expression. Starting her approach for the exit she turned her attention to a draw that was open slightly, "I never noticed that," Mei whispered to herself, she placed the small plush toy on the bench and started approaching draw hesitantly.

Upon opening the draw Mei spotted the strategy guide made by Yuzu, thinking back to the day she wrote the letter to Yuzu, it was a reminder that of her own weakness at the time, regret continue to pour through her mind, "what have I done?" Asking herself, she read through the pages, thinking about the times that they spent together dating, the secret they kept for so much time, yet letting go of such feelings were impossible, reading through until she reached a new piece of information, reading it she held back tears of pride, "make her proud of me?" Mei whispered, stunned at the written words.

Mei turned her attention to the bottom of the draw, spotting an envelope, Mei hesitated for a moment. Mei immediately grabbed the envelope, her hesitation becoming obvious. Prying open the envelope she quickly pulled out and unfolded the paper. Mei started to read the first words of the letter that was addressed to her, 'Hey Mei, if you are reading this, then by now you have noticed that mom and I have moved to another town, right now I am starting college to pursue a career in fashion,' the letter started, seemingly proud of Yuzu and her achievements Mei continued to read the letter.

"That explains where she is," Mei whispered, scanning the letter and reading everything, taking her time to take it all in.

'before you left, I was on cloud nine, I took everything for granted, your presence, everything,' the letter from Yuzu stated. Mei turned the page and with shock read the last paragraph, 'I never moved on, I never will, in fact, my love for you has grown stronger, so much so, my heart hurts every time I think of you, but I know you think very little of me, I am not worthy of anyone's affections, not even yours,' Mei continued to read the letter, taking in every word that Yuzu was conveying, her guilt was starting to grow.

"Geez Yuzu stop it already," Mei wiped away her tears, crunching the paper tightly.

'I will be waiting for you, even if it takes forever, I will always love you Mei,' the final line moved Mei to tears, finally reading another line 'P.S, it seems as though I have misplaced my ring, if you find it please return it to me, I will be waiting for you,' the last part of the letter depicted, instructing Mei to search for the ring.

Mei felt the envelope and noticed something contained in the envelop, she pulled out the item to see the golden ring, "Yuzu, you placed here on purpose," Mei's guilt sounded from her voice. Placing the letter and the strategy guide in her bag and placing the ring in her pocket. Closing the draw and placing the ring in her pocket.

Mei left the apartment complex and headed towards her next destination, clutching the ring left behind by Yuzu, "I am not giving up, not until I see you again Yuzu," making her declaration, tightly clasping the symbol of hers and Yuzu's love.

Matsuri watched her former rival, she watched Mei turn around eventually the two made eye contact, Matsuri noticed the determination in Mei's eyes, "she seems to have found a new fire," she whispered to herself, watching Mei leaving the apartment complex and heading towards the Aihara Academy to continue her search for Yuzu.

"Yuzu, this time, I will be the one that chases after you," Mei whispered to herself, clutching the ring on the chain.

"This could be very interesting indeed," Matsuri whispered to herself, she started walking away from the apartment building, looking at her phone, she thought about calling her childhood friend, revealing the news of seeing Mei again, but waited for a moment, "not yet, I want to see Mei prove it, but this could be interesting," Matsuri followed the black-haired girl away from the apartment, showing curiosity in Mei, 'I don't respect you for what you did to Yuzu,' thinking to herself, angered by the situation that Mei caused.

Yuzu continued to write her notes, taking in the lectures during her time in college, listening to what the lecturer was saying, as he was teaching the group of females in the theatre, Yuzu was sitting at the back while her best friend was sitting at the front. As she continued to listen to the lecture she glanced out the window and let out a sigh, 'gees Mei, where are you?' she questioned the woman she kept her love for.

Harumin glanced over her shoulder to see her friend trying her best to keep up with the class, her concern further compiled by the fact that Yuzu was falling behind with her grades, thinking that she wasn't focusing on her future, remembering the times she even left the lectures early by providing different excuses everytime, "wow Yuzucchi, what the hell is wrong? You haven't been able to focus since you started this course," Harumin tried her best to get to the bottom of Yuzu's lack of interest.

Yuzu grabbed the chain, a chain that was concealed by her pink blouse, her anguish ever apparent, 'Mei,' the name echoed through her thoughts. The thought of Mei crossing her mind, she stood up and turned her attention to the lecturer, "sorry sir, I am not feeling well at the moment," Yuzu informed the lecturer, she picked up her books and pens and rushed down the stairs of the lecturer room.

Harumin watched her best friend leaving the room, "excuse me, sir, there is something I need to do," Harumin jumped out of her seat and followed her friend, keeping a distance to make sure that she wasn't noticed, "geez Yuzucchi, what the heck is wrong with you? You haven't exactly been yourself since starting college," the best friend questioned the blonde-haired girl's recent attitude, concerned about her grades and the potential that she might fail.

Yuzu looked around the college yard, searching for a place to hide, "I haven't seen her in a long time," Yuzu grabbed a picture of Mei and herself during the last date, in their wedding dresses, she clutched the photo close to her and started crying.

Harumin turned the corner to see Yuzu crouching down, shocked to see her best friend crying, "Y-Yuzucchi are you alright?" Harumin tried to reach out for her friend. Yuzu raised her head with tears streaming down her face, "what's the matter?"

"It has been almost a year since I have last seen the person I love," Yuzu replied tearfully, trying to hide the picture of her and Mei.

"I am sure you will see him again," Harumin assumed quickly.

"You have it all wrong Harumin, the person I am in love with, is another girl," Yuzu replied, trying to clear away her tears.

"I see, so who is this lucky girl?" Harumin enquired, waiting for a response.

"I can't tell you," Yuzu snapped back, placing the picture of her and Mei back in her pocket.

"Why not? I am not going to judge you for it," Harumin tried reasoning with Yuzu, trying to get an answer from her, encouraging her to state the girl Yuzu is in love with, "it can't be that bad right?"

"The girl I am in love with is, Mei," Yuzu replied, after being pushed to answer her friend's assurance.

Harumin stepped back in shock, never expecting Yuzu to state that she has been in love with Mei, "but that is your step-sister," Harumin stated in shock. After the statement Harumin remembered the manga that Yuzu was reading, "you mean to tell me that you were reading Peach Sisters, so you can figure out a way to get closer to Mei?"

"Yes," Yuzu answered gently, taking the photo out of her pocket, revealing the time they both wore wedding dresses during their date, "this was during our last date," Yuzu showed her best friend.

Harumin grabbed the photo and took a look at it, "wow, you two are really cute together," she started to tease her friend, upon returning the photo, she turned away to start heading back to class, "you head home, I will give you a copy of the notes to help you, also try to get in contact with your girlfriend alright," Harumin left her friend to ponder about her next actions.

'I can't do that, I am afraid to find out what is happening, whether she is married or not,' Yuzu thought to herself, thinking about what might have happened since Mei left. As she stood up her phone started ringing, she quickly grabbed her phone and answered the call. "Matsuri?"

* * *

 **Alright, this is the last time, I am going to make the characters break down in such a manner, next time these two characters cry, they are going to be tears of joy.**

 **After I am done with this, I am going to start an original work, characters made by me, story made by me and it will be a mecha story, since Mecha is my favorite genre.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Citrus? 4 (40)** _Long Distance Love_

 **No matter the distance, my love will still reach out to you.**

 _ **Summary:**_ _Something you have all waited so long for (well not that long)_

* * *

"Matsuri, what is it?" Yuzu asked her childhood friend, waiting for a response, while Matsuri was walking to her, Yuzu's expression started to change, "you mean Mei, visited my previous home?" Yuzu grew excited, but her excitement was brought back down to earth when she thought about the possibility, "did she get married?"

"No, but that is something you need to find out when you see her again," Matsuri chimed, her excitement becoming more obvious, but Yuzu remained pesemistic, choosing to allow for Matsuri to continue her call, "I confronted her at your last home," the girl informed her childhood friend.

"Oh," Yuzu replied silently.

"Oh? Is that all you can say?" Matsuri questioned her friend, "everytime you called me, you kept asking whether I have or have not seen Mei," Matsuri started to sound more disappointed with Yuzu's current tone.

"Yeah, I am still upset about it, but my grades in college are also suffering," Yuzu informed Matsuri about her current problem, wiping away her tears, "if you see Mei again, please tell her that I am still waiting for her, that I still love her, nothing will ever change that," Yuzu bravely requested her childhood friend to pass the message on.

The two friends ended the call, with Yuzu looking up at the college. Yuzu walked slowly towards the building, thinking about her current grades, "I still want Mei to be proud of me, so it's time for me to do my best," reminding herself of her goal, the desire to become a better person for Mei.

Sitting in an empty room, Yuzu resting her head on her left hand, focused on her studies, moments after talking to one of the lecturers, "Yuzu, we will help you improve your grades, but you need to keep focused," a male lecturer informed the student, he walked out of the room, looking back once again, noticing that Yuzu had allowed the message to pass on, but remaining focused on the task at hand.

Writing her essays calmly, Yuzu kept her eyes on the paper, she looked to the left to see the notes that she had gathered as well as more notes handed to her by Harumin. Glancing out the window and seeing her best friend talking to their new group of friends, 'it really is nice having friends, but I really yearn to see Mei again,' she kept telling herself, taking a sigh and returning her attention to her studies.

After three hours of continuous study, Yuzu emerged from the room, it was already night time, she had turned her phone back on, to see a new message on the phone, walking back away to her room, Yuzu looked back once again, thinking she had seen Mei watching her, "she isn't here, you know Mei, waiting for you is hard," she admitted to herself, holding back her depression.

The very next day Yuzu remained behind in the empty classroom, writing down notes while trying her best to catch up with her studies, a new sense of excitement filled her thoughts, waiting to see Mei come back to her, earlier she had received a call from Matsuri, with a message from Mei, 'that's right Yuzu, Mei is coming to see you again,' Matsuri's voice echoed in her thoughts, a new fervour filled her mind, she pushed through her studies in the quiet room with greater purpose.

Entering through the gates Mei scanned the school she hadn't visited since the start of the year, noticing how things have changed. The familiar surrounds seem to have a new vibe to it, feeling new to her, "while it looks familiar, I feel like I am getting a little lost here," Mei whispered to herself, entering the main foyer of the school quickly, she noticed the difference in the attitudes of the students in, it looked brighter on the inside, yet she felt something was missing at the school.

Mei rushed to what she thought was a familiar room, heading up the stairs quickly, she ran down the hallway, towards the student council room. She entered to see another group of girls in the room, one with pink hair, "Matsuri, you're the president? That can't be right," Mei questioned the girl, who walked up to her.

"Nope, it isn't me, I am merely helping the real president," Matsuri directed Mei's attention to another girl with long brown hair.

"If you don't have permission to be on school grounds, then leave," the new president sternly ordered Mei to leave.

Matsuri stroked her chin and smirked at Mei, watching her turn around, "wait president, I invited her here to see the school she is about to inherit," Matsuri defended Mei's appearance at the school, "please give her an hour to search for the person precious to her," Matsuri suggested playfully, sneering at the black-haired girl, waiting for a response from the school council president.

"Alright, she has one hour, starting now," the Aihara school president agreed to Matsuri. She glared at the older female and approached her, "once your time is up, you are to leave this school."

Mei turned and bowed to the new president, "thank you," Mei replied with gratitude, she turned around and left for the computer room, 'well the rules are the rules I suppose,' Mei thought to herself. Walking slowly towards the room, she clutched onto the ring that was given to her, thinking about Yuzu and whether she would be forgiven.

Upon entering the computer room, Mei rushed over to one of the computers, switching one of the computers on, she waited to reach to login screen, using the password of her grandfather, "I know I shouldn't use my grandfather's password, but there is a very good chance that mine wouldn't work anyway."

Matsuri leaned in the doorway, watching Mei clicking on the webpage of the school, "found anything yet?" She enquired, she was ignored, Mei was too focused on her search for Yuzu, "going to have a break yet?" No response came from Mei, looking on every page she could to find out where Yuzu went to. Matsuri continued to ask questions, Mei remained focused on the task at hand, continuing to focus on her search for Yuzu.

"The president told me to keep an eye on you, can't be helped really, since I also don't trust you," Matsuri kept a watchful gaze on the former president of the school. But Mei continued to ignore her, focusing on the search for Yuzu, the sound of mouse clicks echoed through the room, while Matsuri stood in the doorway, "have you found something?" she asked quietly.

Mei tightened her grip on the mouse, staring at the screen, "yes, Yuzu's grades got better," she replied, her pride in her step-sisters improvement, 'her grades were the highest in the school as well,' Mei thought to herself, trying to piece together the whereabouts of Yuzu.

"Not bad right?" Matsuri chimed, ignored again, she watched Mei moving towards the next page about Yuzu, taking a look at the mobile phone to take a look at the time, "you only have half an hour left," she warned Mei, the limited time remaining.

"I know," she retorted coldly, keeping the focus on the search for Yuzu.

"Once you find her, what will you do?" the pink-haired girl continued to question Mei.

Mei stopped for a moment, halting her search for Yuzu, her gaze now lowered, "I am going to apologize, then I am going to say something that she had been waiting for me to say, yet I was too afraid to say to her," Mei's guilty statement forced a smirk from Matsuri.

Silence fell back in the room again, Mei continued her search for the whereabouts of Yuzu, looking around each page until she spotted something surprising, her expression changed again, "she got a scholarship?"

"Yep, she was very diligent while you were gone, she wanted you to see how much she learned from you," Matsuri informed Mei of the change in Yuzu. Taking a deep breath, she was quick to give Mei a scornful glare, "but it doesn't change the fact that you chose the cowards way out and hurt Yuzu in the process," reminding Mei again of the damage she caused.

Mei continued the search for Yuzu, choosing to not look in the direction of the door, "I know, I don't know how I can make up to Yuzu," answered Mei, guilt remaining obvious in her voice and expression, she clicked onto the next page and spotted Yuzu's application for a college away in another city. Mei reached the page to find out where Yuzu was attending college, pride filled Mei, noticing how much Yuzu had improved, grabbing a pen and a piece of paper, she wrote down the address.

"Alright, time's up," Matsuri informed Mei, walking towards the black-haired girl, watching Mei write down the details. "you know something, I did learn a bit from you," Matsuri confessed, she watched Mei logging off, standing up and picking up her bag.

"I am going to apply for another year at this school, I am going to repeat third year high school next year," Mei expressed her desire to restart her education, "it also means that I will be separated from Yuzu, but I want it to be on better terms and one that won't hurt either of us again," Mei explained her intentions to Matsuri. Walking passed the pink haired girl she exited the room and walked down the stairway.

Clenching her fists, she hit the desk in frustration, "I cannot believe I lost to you, that's what pisses me off the most, I thought Yuzu would have moved on, but no, all she could ever talk about was seeing you again," Matsuri allowed her frustrations to explode.

"I tried to push Yuzu away, but the more I pushed her away, the more she pushed herself into my life," Mei explained her own actions to Matsuri, "I was weak, selfish, scared and I was doing everything to make sure that Yuzu moved on, but after leaving Yuzu, I regretted it, the longer I spent away from Yuzu, the more I realized how much I love her, I appreciated her being around and giving me something that I had longed for since my father left to help other children get an education," Mei explained, entering the hallway, she turned back towards Matsuri who started to grow a little more upset with Mei, "I was scared of reciprocating the love that Yuzu gave me," Mei confessed with guilt.

"I was talking to Yuzu a few hours ago, she is waiting for you," Matsuri composed herself, looking at the back of Mei, "she told me, she is still waiting for you."

After an uncomfortable night's sleep, Mei checked out of a hotel, taking a look at the paper work, slinging her bag over her shoulder, Mei started rushing towards the train station, evading the high number of people coming from the opposite direction, "I was practicing all I needed to tell Yuzu last night, but will it be enough when I see her again?" Questioning her resolve.

An hour later Mei walked off the train, looking around for an information desk, turning her attention to see Ume walking around the station, she approached the older woman, nervously but soon hesitated as guilt washed over her, she turned away before Yuzu's mother spotted her, she walked away, trying her best not to be spotted by the mother, "I am sorry mother, but I guess part of me is still too scared to do anything," she whispered to herself, glancing back to watch Ume walking away from her.

Mei walked the streets of the new town, using the map that she had purchased, slowly making her way around the strange new town, and talking to the locals about the college that she continued to search for Yuzu. The people continued to help direct her towards the college, until she finally made it to the front entrance of the education facility.

Standing at the entrance, she took a deep breath and took her first step towards concluding her search for Yuzu, 'I hope she is doing alright,' thinking to herself, noticing the students that were part of the college. She was talking to a number of the students, showing the picture of Yuzu in hopes they know where she is, this continued on until one of the male students informed her about being in the same class as Yuzu, "thanks for the help," Mei replied, running off to finish her search for Yuzu.

As the time passed on, Mei searched unsuccessfully, peering into each classroom, the hopes of finding Yuzu started to diminish, she looked down at the ring over and over again, "no, I will find her," Mei continued to encourage herself, searching each room until she reached the final room, discovering that Yuzu wasn't in any of the classes.

She peered out the window of the second class hallway to finally discover Yuzu, walking with Harumin, in a sudden urge to meet up with Yuzu, Mei rushed through the halls of the college, making her way down the stairway and through the ground floor hall of the college, she watched the girl with blonde hair walking away from the college, "Yuzu!" she called out, with the recipient not hearing her calls, "Yuzu!" she called out over and over again.

"Gees Harumin, you seriously want to hang out today?" she asked her best friend with a smile, slinging her bag over her shoulder and watching her best friend leaving her behind, 'I have a lot of work to do tonight, so I cannot spend time with you," Yuzu expressed her problem with her friend.

"Gees Yuzucchi, you need to balance your life out," Harumin complained, leaving her best friend behind.

Yuzu started walking in the opposite direction, "Yuzu!" a familiar voice called out to her.

Yuzu turned around to see Mei standing in front of her, she gasped in shock, "M-Mei," she uttered the girls name.

They stood in front of each other, unable to say anything, their eyes made contact, the wind whipped their hair in every direction, "it's good to see you again," Mei professed, she clutched her ring tightly, they remained silent, a moment that allowed Harumin to leave them to their reunion, "Yuzu, I….I am happy to see you again," Mei announced as happiness started to overflow, she tried her best to keep her emotions in check, but a slight glimmer rolled down her face, tears of joy becoming ever apparent to her and Yuzu.

"Mei, how?" Yuzu asked Mei, tears started to roll down her face, unable to contain her happiness in seeing her girlfriend again.

* * *

 **It has been slow going, since I am a rather busy dude, but I will attempt to finish the six chapter prediction chapters by the time the next chapter is released. Chapter 37 that is, since it is very likely that SU is going to be doing something completely different.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Citrus? C5 (41)** _Love finds a way_

 **At long last, my love has reached your heart.**

 _ **Summary:**_ _the emotional reunion of Yuzu and Mei_

* * *

Mei grew nervous, her hands were shaking and uncertainty plagued her mind once again, 'not now, I cannot hesitate anymore,' she thought to herself, she took a deep breath and prepared to move towards Yuzu.

Yuzu was ready to initiate her embrace, but was caught off guard by Mei rushing up to her, hugging her, "Mei?" Growing confused by the actions of her younger step-sister.

Tears rolled down the face of Mei, "I am sorry for everything," she wept, tightening her embrace, "I am sorry for hurting, sorry for not being honest with you, sorry for everything," Mei apologized to Yuzu, preparing to apologize more of her shortcomings, she felt Yuzu's arms wrapping around her, trying to comfort her, "I am sorry Yuzu, I was so afraid to see you get hurt, sorry for being such a coward," Mei continued to apologize to Yuzu, everything that came to mind was expressed in a tearful apology

"Hey stop apologizing already," Yuzu laughed as tears rolled down her face. Interrupting Mei from her apologies, pushing Mei back.

Mei released Yuzu from the tight hug, stepped back and cleared away her tears, "but I am scared."

"Scared of what?" Yuzu enquired

Mei looked away, hints or regret instantly washed over her, "I am afraid that you would never forgive me for all the things I have done to you," Mei answered, trying her best to avoid eye contact with Yuzu.

"During the time you weren't at my side, I applied many of the lessons you taught me, I really wanted you to be proud of me," Yuzu confessed with pride, allowing Mei to hear about what Yuzu had experienced during the time they were apart, "maybe we needed to go our separate ways to sort some things out on our own, for me it was my grades and study, for you, you needed to sort out family matters, not even I could sort that out," Yuzu explained, admitting how she worked and eventually admitting that she might not have been much help in Mei's conflict.

"I really missed you, I faltered anyway," Mei expressed her lack of strength.

Patting Mei on the shoulder, Yuzu gave Mei a gentle, yet understanding expression, "don't beat yourself up too badly," Yuzu comforted Mei, she smiled at her younger step-sister and cleared away her tears, "no matter what Mei, I still love you, but it take some time before things get better between us, but I also get the feeling that things will be much better between us," Yuzu expressed her love to Mei, making her feel a lot more at ease.

Mei and Yuzu walked away from the school building and towards a large tree, they were talking along the way, discussing about how Yuzu was going at college. After the two talked about Yuzu's success, how things were going since, how her Grandfather had died before she had returned, Mei discussed everything about how the engagement was dissolved, that she was free to live her own life.

Yuzu stood up and prepared to walk away, "everything worked out, I am glad," Yuzu smiled at Mei, happy to know that everything was sorted, and that Mei was free to live her life on her own terms, before Yuzu could walk away, she felt Mei take her hand, "Mei?"

"Not everything has been worked out Yuzu, there is something that needs to be said," Mei replied, getting to her feet, she forced Yuzu to turn around, growing nervous, she peered into Yuzu's eyes, "something I had been too afraid to say."

"I promise to be more honest with you, to tell you everything that is causing me problems, to be more open with you and most of all, become a stronger person, not this weak little girl standing right in front of you," Mei started to promise Yuzu, wanting to become a better person. Tightening her grasp on Yuzu's hand, she jolted up and stared into Yuzu's eyes, showing determination, gulping, she gathered the courage to allow herself to say more, "I promise to become a better person," Mei declared gently.

"That's great to hear Mei, I am happy to know that you are willing to spread your wings," Yuzu complimented, but was soon caught off guard when Mei revealed her smile, one that she had never seen before, 'I have seen her smile before, but not like this one, it's like she is happy for the first time,' Yuzu started to feel her heart racing.

"I love you Yuzu, these feelings in my heart, belong only to you and no one else," Mei confessed her love, catching the recipient off guard.

Mei grabbed a ring inside her pocket and showed it to Yuzu, "my ring, I was searching for it," Yuzu looked at the ring, lying about her search for the ring.

"Liar, you made sure that I would find it, so I had the encouragement to look for you," Mei scolded Yuzu for leaving the ring in the apartment, she grabbed Yuzu's hand and slowly moved the ring towards her finger, "I know we would never be able to get married, but that doesn't change my love for you," Mei started, she was interrupted by Yuzu who prevented her from placing the ring on her finger, "you wanted me to put the ring on your finger a couple of years ago."

"I have a better idea Mei," Yuzu playfully grinned, she turned her attention to the ring on Mei's finger, "give me your ring and you hold on to mine," Yuzu suggested, waiting for Mei to hand over the ring, without hesitation she grabbed the ring, "I am taking this ring for safe keeping."

"You're lying again Yuzu," Mei complained, but the complaint was ignored.

Yuzu turned back and smiled at her girlfriend, "meet back here in a few hours, I want to surprise you Mei, also there is a nice shop you should visit, go there and meet back here in a few hours, I have an idea," Yuzu grabbed Mei's ring and ran off, leaving Mei to figure out what to do next, she left the college, remembering the last date they shared, she pulled out a photo, quickly piecing together the idea that Yuzu had envisioned.

After entering the store, Mei wondered around the store, seeing the different dresses that lined the walls of the shop, she was wondering which one to hire, "I remember what Yuzu looked like in her dress, she looked radiant," Mei whispered to herself.

"I see you are interested in some of the wedding dresses on sale," A female attendant approached Mei.

Mei scanned the different dresses and approached one that stood out the most, "I remember something like this," Mei silently told the woman.

"So who is the lucky man?" The store owner asked Mei.

Mei refused to make eye contact, "my girlfriend told me to come here," Mei informed

"Well that is different, I haven't had someone like you enter this store before," the owner grew more curious about Mei's situation, "she must mean a lot to you," she teased Mei, moving towards a dress that Mei missed. An elegant blue dress that captivated Mei. The owner immediately grabbed the dress and placed it in front of Mei, stepping back she tilted her head and smirked, "I have never been able to sell this one, but I think it really suits you."

A few hours later Mei stood under the same tree Yuzu told her to meet her. Dressed in the elegant blue dress, holding onto the ring that was meant for Yuzu, 'I know what she is planning,' Mei pondered to herself, waiting for Yuzu to appear.

"Mei!" Yuzu called out to the girl in the beautiful blue dress, running up to her in a white wedding dress, a beaming smile that always seem to bring Mei a smile.

Stunned at the appearance of Yuzu, her gorgeous dress glimmering with the setting sun. "Yuzu," whispering to herself.

Yuzu stood at Mei's side and grabbed her hand, "yep, this was something I have been wanting to do," Yuzu confessed, taking Mei's hand and facing her, "it might not be official, I really wanted to exchange vows with you," Yuzu informed Mei of her idea, she tightly held onto Mei's hands and looked up at Mei.

Mei hesitated for a moment, she started blushing at the suggestion, "are you sure about this?" Mei asked her girlfriend quietly. Yuzu nodded much to Mei's amazement.

"Don't be too scared," Yuzu happily assured her step-sister, Yuzu stared into Mei's eyes, "I am a hundred percent certain," confirming her the idea to Mei, gently holding her girlfriend's hands.

"Yeah, but I hurt you, I am afraid that things might be different between us now," Mei replied with regret in her eyes, she turned her gaze away from Yuzu, "this might be too soon for us," she whispered to Yuzu.

Yuzu slowly moved one of her hands towards Mei's face. Gently turning Mei's eyes towards her, "you have nothing holding you back right, it's time you made your own choices, live life the way you want to live it," Yuzu continued to reason with Mei, forcing the black-haired girl to make eye contact with her, the wind picked up as Mei stared stunned at the idea that was being given to her, "do what makes you happiest, be a little selfish."

"A little selfish?" Mei asked, seeing Yuzu nod, "I can try that," Mei announced her new chance to live her life, grabbing Yuzu's hand and holding onto it softly. With new confidence emanating from her, Mei nodded back in approval, "I have a lot to learn, I am happy to have you as someone to learn from," Mei explained in an assured tone, "I have decided what I want to do, let's exchange those vows," finally accepting the idea, a smile extending across her face, tears slowly rolling down her face, "this will be my happiest day."

Nervous, Yuzu was taking a deep breath, "I will go first," Yuzu informed her girlfriend as her hands shook, "Mei, do you promise to love me unconditionally, in sickness and in health, through the good times and the bad, to support me and my ambitions and lastly to share your life with me?" Yuzu asked almost cautiously, preparing to slide the ring on Mei's left-hand ring finger.

Hesitating for a moment, nodding in approval, "I-I do," Mei uttered the response to Yuzu, allowing her to place the ring on her finger. After Yuzu had completed the first stage of the process, Mei grabbed her ring, "Yuzu, do you promise to love me unconditionally, in sickness and in health, through the good times and the bad, to support me and my ambitions and lastly to share your life with me?"

"I do," Yuzu quickly answered Mei. She watched Mei move the ring towards her finger, her heart started beating faster, 'this is it, I have waited for this day to happen, Mei to place the ring on my finger,' Yuzu thought to herself. She watched as the ring finally slid on her finger, tears of joy rolled down her face. Yuzu wiped away her tears and turned her attention to the ring. Suddenly a realisation crossed her mind, "this is awkward, normally after this, they usually state something about kissing the bride," Yuzu tried to laugh it off, but was quickly thrown off guard when Mei leant in to seal the vows with a kiss. Yuzu stepped back visibly flustered by Mei's sudden kiss, "what are you doing?"

"Simple, kissing my bride," Mei replied without hesitation, she leaned in closer giving Yuzu another kiss as the sun was setting behind them.

Sitting under the tree, both Yuzu and Mei looked up at the stars, "I have decided that I will be attending this college," Mei announced, placing her arm around Yuzu.

Yuzu grew excited about the prospect with studying with Mei again, "so that means we will be attending the same college right?" Yuzu asked Mei with a glimmer of hope.

Ashamed by her actions, Mei glanced away, taking a deep breath, she turned her attention at the ground, "No, I will be repeating third year high school, my grades suffered while I was away."

"I see, will you be starting college at a later time?" Yuzu asked Mei gently, resting her head on Mei's shoulder.

"Yes," Mei gave the affirmative, turning away, she started walking away from Yuzu, "but it will take a little extra time for me, so please wait for me to catch up to you," Mei made her request, she looked back with a gentle smile, "I am proud of you," Mei expressed her pride in Yuzu, turning her attention at the ring, thinking about their relationship, thinking back at the past that gave her the courage to confess and exchange their own vows, "I want you to be proud of me, so please wait for me."

Before Mei left towards her own future, Yuzu approached Mei with a large plush toy in her hand, "take Kumagoro with you," Yuzu forced the large teddy bear into Mei arms, Yuzu then followed up revealing a mobile phone in her hands, "I put my number as a contact, ring up anytime you want to contact me," Yuzu handed the phone to Mei.

"Thank you Yuzu," Mei replied, a gentle smile crossing her face, she placed her left hand over her heart, 'I finally have a path that I can follow on my own, I don't have other's deciding it for me,' Mei thought to herself, she peered over her shoulder to see Yuzu waving at her, "my heart has decided what I need in life, I need Yuzu in my life, because I love her," she whispered to herself, Mei started walking away from the college, her head held high and with pride in her lover, "that's right Yuzu, I am proud of you, but now I want you to be proud of me."

* * *

 **The next one will either be an epilogue or a continuation between Mei restarting her third year in high school before entering college, or I could do an in between years, between the college and the time skip which will take place in the epilogue.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Citrus? Chapter 6 (42) Future of Love.**

 _ **Summary:**_ _10 years since the main story has passed, Yuzu and Mei are both following their chosen paths, but a new challenge for Yuzu arrives, how will she conquer it?_

 _ **Yuzu:**_ _29_

 _ **Mei:**_ _28_

* * *

Sitting inside a store, preparing to make a new set of clothes for her customer, Yuzu and her best friend Harumin both stared at the pattern, "man Yuzucchi, this one might be challenging, not only is it really intricate, but also for someone really famous, I am not certain if we can please this customer," Harumin complained

Yuzu shook her head in displeasure, but also unable to focus at the job that she needed to do, "yeah, it won't be an easy one," Yuzu replied, she pointed at the one part that might be quite the challenge for the completion of the project, "that bit there needs to be imported and that might take most of the time," Yuzu explained to her best friend and business partner.

"Yuzucchi, you don't seem to focused right now," Harumin pointed out the inattention of her friend, noticing how she seemed to have lost focus on the job.

Yuzu looked up at the stock in her shop, thinking about how busy they have been in recent times, "tomorrow is Mei's birthday, I haven't even got her a cake yet, let alone a gift," lamenting not getting Mei something for her birthday.

"Yeah, it seems like you're in a bad spot, but that's nothing compare to Mei," a familiar voice echoed through the shop.

Yuzu and Harumin turned to find a woman with shoulder length brown hair, "Matsuri what are you doing here?" Harumin asked the younger woman.

"I was overhearing Yuzu, learning about how Yuzu has failed to be a good wife," Matsuri teased her childhood friend, she walked around the counter and approached the table, noticing the difficult position they were in, "I think I know someone who can help get the item you need, but….." Matsuri started with a playful smirk.

"Oh no, not the conditions," Harumin tried her best to sneak away.

"The condition is, Harumin goes on a date with me," Matsuri sneakily suggested, much to the horror of Harumin, "I was going to spend time with my sisters, but it seems rather obvious that Yuzu and Mei are going to be a little preoccupied with each other tomorrow," Matsuri hinted at her intentions, she rushed over to Harumin and clung to her arm, "tomorrow, you're mine."

"Yuzucchi, help me!" Harumin called out to her best friend while she was being dragged away by the younger woman.

Stroking her chin Yuzu ignored the pleas of her business partner, "what did Matsuri mean by Mei being in a bad position, she moved towards the exit and flicked off the light, she locked the door of her business and started walking down the street, thinking about what was going on, Mei had been busy, when suddenly her phone started ringing, "hello Mei," Yuzu greeted her love calmly.

"Yuzu, I need your help," Mei called out to Yuzu.

After hearing Mei asking for help, Yuzu quickly turned around to rush over to the Aihara Academy, "I am on my way," Yuzu stated, she continued to run, not hesitating to make her presence known.

After making it to the academy, Yuzu noticed how Mei was standing at the front of the school, she was dressed in a black dress, a white blouse and black jacket, "please follow me inside, I need to talk to you for a moment," Mei informed Yuzu, allowing her wife to enter the school grounds, leading her to the office.

Yuzu looked around to see that the classrooms were almost half full and that the hallways were nearly empty, a difference to what it was like when she first attended the academy, "what happened Mei? This school use to be so busy," Yuzu pointed out with a hint of concern.

"If things don't improve, there is a chance that I might have to either close the academy down, or make it a co-ed school," Mei replied, explaining the difficult situation she was in, leading Yuzu through the halls and towards the main office of the school, "I fear that I have been too lenient with some of the staff."

"I am not sure what to do Mei, I have been a little busy as well," Yuzu informed Mei of her current schedule, she noticed the sadness in Mei's expression, "but I did promise that I will be there for you, no matter what, you come first after all, we are unofficially married right," Yuzu reassured Mei of her promise to her, she walked up to her and noticed the paperwork that was spread all over the desk, "another all girls school to compete against?" Yuzu asked Mei of the situation.

"Yeah, that is the main competition, the prices are cheaper, but the quality they are getting in their education is a lot better, I have tried to get things back on track, but to no avail," Mei explained her problem to Yuzu.

Yuzu started to think about what should happen with the future of the Aihara Academy, "make it a co-ed school then, it won't be easy, do what you need to do, you have my full support," Yuzu continued to reason with Mei.

Mei smiled at Yuzu and grabbed the sheet of paper, "I thought that someday I would end up making decisions of my own, but I still keep asking you for advice, you really are better than me," Mei stated calmly, glancing over to another sheet of paper, "which is why I am going to tell you this, I have decided to close down the Aihara Academy and follow in the footsteps of my father," Mei confessed her intentions to Yuzu.

Yuzu stood with her mouth agape, she staggered back in horror, "you mean you're travelling the world alone?" Yuzu asked her wife calmly.

Mei shook her head and approached Yuzu, "no, I want you to come with me, unlike my father who travelled alone, I need you with me, I want to experience everything the world has to offer, but I need the one I love at my side," Mei expressed her desire to travel with Yuzu.

"But Mei, I am running a business now," Yuzu knocked back the idea, leaving Mei surprised

"Yuzucchi!" Harumin threw the pattern at her best friend.

"Ouch, what the heck was that for?" Yuzu complained about the hit, she stepped back after seeing Matsuri shrugging her shoulders and shaking her head, "Matsuri?"

"Geez Yuzu, your business will never get anywhere if you don't take the opportunity that is right in front of you, even Mei knows that for your business to succeed, you must be prepared to look outside the box," Matsuri explained the thought process of Mei, she walked around the isles of formal attire and everyday fashion, "think of it this way Yuzu, by going around the world with Mei, you could find new fashions as well as expanding your own business," Matsuri continued to explain the potential that was being presented to her.

"That's right, wasn't it our goal to make a world famous label?" Harumin enquired, crossing her arms and puffing up her cheeks, "I also heard about what was going on with the Aihara Academy, I never thought I would see the day that the school that we attended would end up closing," Harumin started showing remorse towards the chairperson of the school, "honestly Mei had finally started to open up more, especially towards you."

"Wait, you two know about the plight of the Aihara Academy? Shouldn't we try to do something about it?" Yuzu grew more concerned about the way Mei was acting about the shutting of the school.

"Well Yuzu, you are Mei's unofficial wife after all," Matsuri replied, she glanced over to Harumin and handed over the item they needed to help complete the pattern, "you know there is something else you need to know," a lot of visitors to my café have always talked about your shop, some of them are from overseas, that want to see more of your brand," Matsuri described to Yuzu the feelings of the foreign travellers.

"That's right, take this as a chance to make our brand more famous, who knows we might get even more celebrities coming into our shop," Harumin suggested.

Yuzu looked at her phone and saw the time, "oh crap, I need to head out, I need to get a birthday present for Mei," Yuzu rushed off, leaving her two friends to ponder on what to say next. Walking through the pedestrian path. Rubbing her chin, Yuzu thought about the situation she was in, 'they really want me to push this business overseas?' Yuzu asked herself, thinking about the potential that it could bring for her business.

Yuzu entered a shop, spotted a teddy bear and approached it, seeing it holding an Australian flag, it was grey and white in colour with large ears and a black nose, "I have never seen that animal before," Yuzu noted to herself.

"It is one of Australia's national animals, the Koala," one of the shop attendants informed Yuzu.

"It looks so cute," Yuzu squealed at the sight of the plush toy, she picked it up and walked over to the front counter, "I will buy it, also can you quickly gift wrap it for me?" she requested while searching in her purse for her money, she just had enough for the toy.

After exiting the store, she walked away with the gift wrapped toy with a beaming smile, 'Mei will love this,' she thought proudly at the gift she had purchased for Mei.

Placing the gift on the table after getting back home she rushed out to get the ingredients she needed to bake a birthday cake for Mei.

Hours after returning home, Yuzu had finished decorating the cake, Mei looked around with a slightly disappointed expression, "I am sorry for forcing the idea of the trip on you," Mei apologized to Yuzu, she noticed the large gift-wrapped item on the table.

"No Mei, don't you dare put a finger on that present," Yuzu warned Mei without turning towards the woman. She walked out of the kitchen with the cake ready and the birthday candles burning, "happy birthday Mei," Yuzu announced with great joy, she placed the cake in front of Mei and started singing happy birthday to her.

"You never forget," Mei whispered her content to Yuzu thinking about her birthday.

Yuzu pushed the present towards Mei, "also, this present will give you my answer to what you were asking of me," Yuzu informed Mei, allowing her to open the present.

Mei rapidly ripped away the paper and stared at the Koala, 'really Yuzu, I am too old for plush toys,' Mei complained within her thought, 'right Kuddles?' Mei coldly thought of a name before turning her attention to Yuzu.

"I have decided that I am going to travel the world with you, starting at the end of the year," Yuzu announced her intentions to Mei, "Harumin told me she would hold down the fort, while I take this chance to expand on our business," Yuzu winked at Mei, removing the birthday candles and handing her a knife to cut down on the cake.

Mei grinned at Yuzu, slowly cutting down at the cake, "I am happy that I can share my experiences with you," Mei expressed her gratitude.

With Yuzu standing next to her, she turned towards the black-haired woman with the two making eye contact, Yuzu leaned down and in the process, kissing Mei, she pulled back slightly and smiled, "happy birthday Mei," she whispered, restarting the kiss between the two.

Sitting next to the window of an aircraft, she peered out with excitement, seeing her friends waving at her, "pity they can't hear me, but this is one of the most exciting moments in my life," Yuzu professed her joy, waving at her friends, she glanced back at Mei and nodded at her, "what about you?"

Sliding her hair back, she smiled gently, "yeah, I never thought that I would be doing this, after the Aihara Academy closed down, I was uncertain, but having you at my side, really helped me cope," Mei expressed her gratitude towards Yuzu, she raised her left hand and waved back at her friends, almost timidly as the plane started to move away from the terminal.

Halting at the end of one of the runways, Yuzu grabbed Mei's hand, the plane picking up speed, the two women looked at one another and smiled, "towards our own future," the two whispered. The plane lifting off towards an unknow destination, carrying the Aihara sisters with it.

* * *

 **Well ladies and gents this is the end of the prediction set of chapters, what I might end up doing at a later time, is writing my own piece for the in between years. but that will come at a later time, I have an original Gundam Story to write.**


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